Haunted
by XxKioraxX
Summary: When an unknown young women shows up in Hollow Bastion with hardly any memory of her past, will she find a new home? Or just more heartbreak? LeonxOC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first-ever fanfic, so reviews and tips on how to make my writing better are welcomed.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters.

HAUNTED

PART 1

In the town of Hollow Bastion, the streets were mostly deserted, abandoned buildings wasting away due to age and destruction lined the empty streets. The only sign of life was a young teen by the name of Yuffie Kisaragi, who was currently on night patrol, looking for heartless to kill, and talking to herself about how great a ninja she was. As she rounded a street corner, she realized that there was a figure laying in the middle of the street, approaching cautiously, she realized that the figure was a young woman.

"Hey, are you okay?"

When the woman made no response, Yuffie kneeled down next to her, trying to get a better look at her face. The womans hair was covering a large portion, and as Yuffie pushed it to the side, she noticed a large gash, dripping blood, along the woman's cheek, she was also extremely pale, and appeared to be unconscious.

"You don't look so good...maybe I should take you back to Merlin's"

Yuffie carefully picked the young woman up and slowly made her way back to the house where she and the other members of the Hollow Bastion restoration comity resided.

"Leon, it's getting late, maybe she ran into trouble"

Aerith peered out the window, the young ninja had never been late before and she was beginning to getting worried. Squall (Leon)hart looked up at Aerith from the book he was currently reading and sighed.

"I'm sure she's fine." _probably feel off a building acting like an idiot _"I think im gonna head up to bed... g'night Aerith"

"Night Leon... I think I'll stay up and wait for Yuffie to come home"

Leon smirked to himself as he went up the stairs to his bedroom. Sometimes, Aerith could be _too_ concerned, but that never seemed to annoy him like it did when other people acted that way, mainly because Aerith was the only person Leon could actually open up to. The only other person he had ever felt that comfortable around was... Rinoa...

_Don't think about her, don't you dare start thinking about her now. You have a new life, a new home, don't start thinking about all that you've lost._

Leon sighed and got in bed, suddenly realizing he wasn't tired anymore. He sighed again and got out of bed. Dressing quickly and grabbing his gunblade, he silently made his way downstairs and out the back door, heading to the only place where he could escape his past

Shortly after Leon left, the front door creaked open. Aerith jumped up from her spot on the couch and prepared herself to give Yuffie a lecture an how much she had been worried when she noticed the young woman draped over Yuffie's shoulders.

"Wh-who is this?" Aerith asked

"I dunno, I found her like this in the middle of the street, she looks to be in pretty bad condition, so I decided to bring her here instead of taking her to a hotel or something"

"ok, set her here on the couch so I can tend her wounds, could you get the first aid kit please?"

Yuffie carefully laid the woman down as Aerith had instructed, and went to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. Meanwhile, Aerith looked the girl over for any other wounds besides the gash on her cheek. Finding none, she sat and looked at the woman for a moment while waiting for Yuffie to come back.

"Here you go Aerith." handing Aerith the first aid kit "where is everyone else?"

"In bed, it's after midnight, you should go to bed to, Ill take care of her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I want to stay with her in case she wakes up."

"Ok, goodnight Aerith!"

"Goodnight Yuffie"

As Yuffie went up to bed, Aerith sat staring at the girl. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was who the girl was, and how she ended up in Hollow Bastion.

A/N: Well, there you go. Hope you liked it. Please R&R


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, here's the second chapter. Hope you enjoy. Please READ and REVIEW. This is my first fanfic and tips and how to improve my writing are greatly appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters.

HAUNTED

PART 2

_ The stench of burning homes hung in the air like a blanket of death. Woman and children ran for cover, screaming out of fear and despair of losing their loved ones in the flames that now burned from rooftop to rooftop. Families got separated, looking for any way out of the town that had long been home. The normally peaceful, quiet town was now overrun by heartless, they swarmed the streets, looking for anything,, and anyone they could destroy. Among the madness, one girl stood off to the sidelines, silently sobbing ,eyes burning form ash and her own tears, looking for her parents. Who had not been seen since that morning. One of the buildings near the girl collapsed, causing her to run in fear. In the distance, she could begin to hear someone call out her name._

"_Izumi!'_

_The girl recognized the sound of her mothers voice. "Over here mama"_

"_Izumi, where are you? I can't find you!"_

"_Im here mama, right over here, please come and get me, im scared!"_

_The girl ran toward the sound of her mothers voice, once so calm and caring, now filled with worry. After what seemed like hours of running, she finally collapsed in the safety of her mothers warm arms._

"_Oh, Izumi, I was so worried about you. Where on earth did you go!? Your father and I told you to stay in the house no matter what happened."_

_Izumi was fighting to hold back more sobs as she looked up at her mothers face._

"_I-I was s-so s-scared! Y-you and d-daddy l-left me! And I h-had no idea wh-where you g-guys went, I th-thought you wo-would leave me"_

_Her mother took the girl in her arms and tried to give her some comfort "Shhh, it's ok now, everything will be ok. Don't cry. We're going to go find daddy now. Ok?"_

_Izumi looked into her mother's eyes and nodded. The girls mother gently picked her up and began carrying her out of town, towards the only means of escape._

"_M-mommy? Where is daddy?" Izumi asked quietly_

"_It's ok, don't worry, he's waiting for us at the Gummi Ship, near the town entrance. We'll be able to see him shortly and go far, far away from here. Close your eyes and hold onto me tight now."_

_Izumi did as instructed, not wanting to see any more destruction, she buried her face in the softness of her mother's hair, smelling the sweet shampoo she always used. _

_ Izumi was close to drifting off to sleep ,and almost to the Gummi Ship, when she heard her mother scream. Her eyes quickly snapped open, and she was met with the scene of her father, in battle with the biggest heartless the town had seen yet. Izumi's mother gently put her on the ground. The young girl couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of her father, blood was slowly making it way done his shirt front, and his strength seemed to be fading fast._

"_Izumi, look at me." Her mother jerked her face away until it meet her eyes. "I want you to go onto the ship, ok sweetie? Right now."_

"_B-but what about daddy? We can't leave daddy."_

"_I'm gonna go help daddy, and then me and daddy are going to find our own way out of here, and we'll find you. I promise."_

_A middle aged man came running out of the Gummi Ship, heading for the girl and her mother. _

"_Is everything ok Miss Kaori? We must leave in a few moments"_

_Izumi's mother stood up and faced the man._

"_Yes. Aidan, I have a favor to ask of you. Take my daughter, and make sure she gets to safety, I have to go help my husband. Don't wait for us, just go. And make sure Izumi gets out of here!"_

"_But mi-"_

"_I have to go help him, dammit! Just do what I say!" And with that, she turned and started making her way towards the heartless._

"_MOMMY!! NO!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!" Izumi dashed towards her mother, grabbing onto her leg in a last effort not to lose her._

_The girls mother leaned down, giving Izumi one last kiss on the check. "It will be ok, Izumi, now go with the nice man, and me and daddy will be right behind you."_

"Hey"

_Aidan rushed to the girls side and picked her up, rushing her to the Gummi Ship. _

"_NO!! MOMMY PLEASE, I LOVE YOU!! DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE! MOMMY!"_

"Hey, wake up."

_Izumi continued yelling for her mother to return, a fresh stream of tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice growing hoarse. Aidan carried her into the ship and buckled her into one of the seats as gently as he could. Izumi stared out the window, still screaming for her mother to come back to her. _

"You're gonna fall off the couch and hurt yourself even more if you keep thrashing around like that."

Izumi's eyes snapped open, she sat up abruptly, causing her head, and everything around her to spin. She groaned and put her head between her knees in an effort to make everything stand still.

_What the hell was that? I haven't had that dream in... I don't know how long._

After a few moments, her head felt clearer, and she was able to look up and notice the curious faces peering down at her. An awkward silence filled the room, Izumi blushed slightly, trying to find words to say.

_How did I end up here? I don't even know where here is! I wish someone would tell me what's going on, I don't recognize any one, and I don't remember what I was doing before I ended up here either-_

"Um, excuse me, are you alright? You still look kind of pale, maybe you should rest some more. I don't want you to end up in worse shape than you already are."

Izumi looked up into the kind face of the woman talking to her. The woman's hair was pulled into a long braid that went down her back, held in place by a pink bow resting near the top of her head, her outfit also consisted of mainly pink garments, including a light pink skirt, with a darker pink top. The only thing that didn't include pink were her boots, which reached to just above her ankles.

"I-I'm fine, just a little surprised. Um, not to sound rude, but could you tell me where I am?"

"Of course! You're in Hollow Bastion. My name is Aerith, this is Yuffie."

Aerith pointed to a teenage girl in dark shorts, a tank top that reached just above her stomach covered with a black jacket, and a black headband.

"Hiya!" Yuffie said cheerfully.

Next, Aerith introduced a man named Cid, who wore simple blue pants tucked into dark brown boots, and a white shirt, with a large orange belt across his waist. And Cloud, who was leaning against the far wall with his arms across his chest, he wore all black , the only thing that made him stand out was the blonde hair sticking up in all directions, and the blue eyes that reminded Izumi of the ocean. Both Cloud and Cid muttered simple "hello's".

After Aerith had introduced everyone in the room, she turned to Izumi, smiling gently.

"So, you haven't told us your name yet, what is it?"

"Izumi. My name's Izumi"

"Such a pretty name. Well Izumi, I don't mean to pry, but how did you wind up here? Don't you have a home to go back to? I'm sure someone must be looking for you."

"I-I don't remember how I got here, the only thing I _can_ remember is how my town was destroyed, but that was when I was little... I can't remember anything from then until now."

Izumi looked at Aerith, then lowered her head so the only thing she could see was her hands.

"So you don't know where you're home is?" Aerith asked.

Izumi shook her head, eyes fixed on the hands in her lap.

"Well, would you like to stay here for awhile? We have extra rooms."

Izumi looked up at Aerith "But you have all done so much for me already, I don't want to impose, I can just find somewhere else."

Aerith just smiled. "It really wouldn't be any trouble, and I would feel guilty if you left and then something else happened to you. And as I said before, we have the extra room, please at least consider?"

Izumi looked at Aerith's kind face, and then at everyone else's. Silently debating whether to stay or go.

_Everyone looks so kind, but they've already done so much for me. How can I accept their generosity?.. and what happens if my memories come back? What if I have a family?.. I guess I could stay for a couple days at least. But after I get my memories back, I'm leaving._

Izumi looked up at Aerith once more. "Alright, I'll stay. At least for awhile, until I get some of my memories back."

Aerith broke out into a huge grin "Wonderful! We'll get you settled, and then I'll make some breakfast, you must be starving."

Aerith rose from the chair next to Izumi and looked over at Yuffie. "Yuffie, why don't you show Izumi the spare room , and that way I can go ahead and get some food ready?"

"Sounds good." Yuffie replied with a grin "Come on, just follow me!"

And with that said, Yuffie bounded out the living room with Izumi following close behind.

"Well, here's your room." Yuffie said as she led Izumi into a semi-large bedroom painted light blue. "There's a bathroom through the door over there... that's pretty much it really. I'll bring you some spare clothes in a little while, if you need anything else, just ask one of us and we'll help you out. Well, I'll leave you to get settled then, Aerith will either call or send someone up to get you when food is done. Until then, make yourself at home!"

Yuffie winked and then headed back downstairs, leaving Izumi alone with her thoughts.

She looked around the room, noticing the faint smell of vanilla.

_Well, since I'm here, I should probably make the most of it. Taking a shower sounds like a good way to start._

Downstairs, Aerith and Yuffie were busy cooking in the kitchen, and discussing how much things have changed in Merlin's house in the past day.

"Hey Aerith?" Yuffie asked, "have you seen Leon? I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"I saw him last night, before you brought in Izumi, but I haven't seen him this morning." she sighed, "He'll turn up when he wants to."

Yuffie nodded in agreement and then went back to mixing the chocolate chip pancakes she was making. After a moments silence, she turned towards Aerith again.

"How do you think he'll react to Izumi?"

"Honestly Yuffie, I don't really know."

Silence passed over the kitchen again, and both Yuffe and Aerith were lost in their own thoughts. The front door opened quietly, and Leon walked in. Aerith peered around the corner of the kitchen and smiled at him, and he waved back in reply.

"Hiya Leon! Where have _you_ been all morning?" Yuffie asked loudly. Almost dropping the bowl of pancake batter.

"I was busy"

"Doing what?"

"None of your business"

Yuffie pouted "Awww, why not? You can tell me."

"...Whatever."

"Leon?" Aerith asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Since your on your way upstairs, could you leave these outside the door to the spare bedroom please?"

Aerith handed him a set of spare clothes. He looked down at them, confused.

"We had some unexpected company last night. They're staying in the spare room, and she needed some spare clothes." Aerith informed him, noticing his confused expression.

Leon looked at Aerith and nodded, turning to head upstairs.

"We'll call you when breakfast is ready."

He gave another wave of acknowledgment and continued up the stairs.

_I wonder who this guest is anyway, why didn't they bring their own clothes? _

He paused before leaving the clothes by the door, his hand outstretched and ready to knock At the last minute he thought better of it and walked down the hallway to his own room.

Izumi had just gotten out of the shower when she heard the slight sound of footsteps outside the bedroom door. After a few moments of waiting to see if someone would knock, she walked over and peered into the hallway.

_Hmm... I thought I heard someone out here, maybe I was wrong._

She peered downward and noticed the bundle of clothes by her door, she smiled to herself, then picked them up and retreated back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Just after Izumi finished dressing in a plain black tanktop and jeans, she heard Yuffie calling to her from downstairs.

"Hey Izumi! Breakfast is done!"

"Thanks Yuffie, I'll be down in a minute."

Walking out into the hallway she noticed someone else heading towards the stairs as well. She waved slightly, hoping to get a better look at the person. The unknown person stopped when he saw her wave, and their eyes locked. The first thing Izumi noticed was the scar going across his face, reaching from the bridge of his nose, to in between his eyebrows. He also had a pair of black, leather looking pants, with 4 different crisscrossing belts hanging off his waist. A plain, white shirt covered his chest, and Izumi noticed what looked liked a lion pendant dangling around his neck. After what seemed like hours, Izumi finally broke her gaze, instead choosing to look at her feet.

Leon's first thought when the young woman stepped into the hallway was that Rinoa had somehow appeared in Hollow Bastion. But after taking a better look, the woman didn't look like Rinoa hardly at all, they both had the same dark, black hair, but that was where the resemblance stopped. _This_ woman had longer hair, that reached past her shoulders. She also had a cut going across her cheek, and her skin seemed paler than Rinoa's ever did. The thing that really caught Leon's attention was the young woman's eyes, they were a deep bluish greenish color, and they seemed full of sadness and something else Leon couldn't place.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare..." The young woman stuttered, looking at Leon once more.

"...whatever"

Izumi's face swam with a mixture of shock and hurt at Leon's words. He however, continued on his way toward breakfast.

_I wonder what the hell his problem is, I was just trying to be friendly. _

When Izumi walked into the kitchen for breakfast, it looked like complete chaos had broken out. Yuffie was arguing with Cloud about heartless while shoving pancakes into her mouth. Cid and some girl named Tifa were having a very heated discussion about what gummi ship functioned better. And Aerith was going back and forth from the stove to the table making sure everyone had enough food. The only one at the table who didn't seem to be involved was the man Izumi had run into on the way downstairs.

"Hello Izumi, do you enjoy your room so far?" Aerith asked, realizing she just entered the kitchen.

"Yes, very much. Thank you."

"Well sit down and have some breakfast. What would you like?"

"Pancakes are good, thanks."

"No problem."

"Oh, Izumi this is Leon." Aerith said, setting a plate of pancakes in front of Izumi.

"Yeah, we met briefly on the way down here. He never told me his name though."

Aerith looked over at Leon.

"Well Leon, this is Izumi."

Leon nodded then went back to his own pancakes.

Aerith looked from Izumi to Leon then back again. "Leon, Sora called to let me know that there were some heartless down by the dark depths, do you think you could handle them? Sora would but he's taking care of stuff in Atlantica right now."

"Sure, I can handle them." Leon looked over at Cloud, "Hey Cloud, you want to come with me?"

"Actually Leon.." Aerith began hesitantly, "I was hoping you'd take Izumi, maybe show her around a little bit?"

Izumi choked on her orange juice.

_Why is she asking him that?! He doesn't even seem to like me very much! Surely she can see that?_

"Sure. I think I'll go shower first though." He turned to Izumi. "Make sure you're ready to go in 20 minutes."

Izumi nodded. Leon stood from the table and made his way back upstairs.

For a few moments, the table was unusually quiet, with everyone looking after Leon while he made his way out of the room. Cid, Cloud, and Tifa followed, leaving the remaining girls in the kitchen.

"YAY! Leon has a new girlfriend!" Yuffie squealed.

Izumi choked on her orange juice again.

"What do you mean he has a new girlfriend, you can't mean _me_ can you?"

"Why of course silly, Leon usually doesn't take guests with him when he goes heartless hunting, you should feel honored!"

Izumi blushed and looked down at her plate.

_He seemed so mean on the stairs though, he can't actually like me can he?.. of course not, he was just acting on Aerith's orders. He doesn't really _want_ to drag me along with him._

"Hey are you ok? You're really quiet all of a sudden."

Izumi looked up to see Yuffie peering down at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about stuff."

"You're thinking about Leon weren't you?"

"What?! Of course not." Even as she said the words, she felt a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Ahhh, you were to. Look, you're even blushing!"

"Now Yuffie, give her a break, she still doesn't even know him that well. Don't start jumping to conclusions." Aerith said, coming to Izumi's aid.

_Thank you Aerith_

"I think I'm gonna go wait in my room, so I'll see you guys later."

Yuffie waited until Izumi was out of hearing distance before turning to Aerith, a chesire cat grin plastered on her face.

"She likes him, I'm telling you. It was love at first sight." Yuffie sighed dreamily, lost in thought.

"You don't know that for sure. Just wait and see what happens, you know how Leon is with new people after...Rinoa. Just give him time. If they hit it off, great, I just don't want him getting hurt again. Izumi either, for that matter." Aerith said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Can I help out though? Maybe trip one of them so they end in the other's lap or something?"

"No"

"Aww. You're no fun."

Izumi paced in her bedroom, waiting for 20 minutes to pass, thinking of all the things that could go wrong.

_What if he really doesn't like me and pushes me off a cliff? Or if he locks me in some old, abandoned house. Why did Aerith suggest _he_ be the one to show me around? Couldn't she or Yuffie do it?_

She sighed then walked over to her bed and fell backwards onto it.

_Oh god! What if they're trying to set us up? Not that I would mind, Leon _is_ kinda cute, with those pretty eyes, and that scar... No, NO. Don't think those kind of thoughts._

She sighed again and turned on her side, burying her face into a pillow.

_After all, you don't know how long you'll be here. _

A sudden knock on the door snapped Izumi to her senses. Opening the door, she say that is was none-other than Leon himself.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

Izumi followed Leon downstairs and out of the house. Hoping that everything would work out and that she'd be able to come home in one piece.

A/N: Well, that was the second chapter. Hope you liked it. Please R&R.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's the third chapter. I don't like this one as much as the previous two, but I wanted to post something. Hope it's not to terrible. Enjoy, and please review!!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Kingdom Hearts characters used in this story.

HAUNTED

PART 3

The sky surrounding Hollow Bastion was a clear blue, except for the thunder clouds in the distance, threatening to bring rain later on. It was a fairly hot day, and the sun shone brightly over the town. Leon and Izumi walked through the streets in silence, Izumi following a few footsteps behind the silent brunette.

_He _really _doesn't like me, he hasn't even said a word to me since we left the house, and that was almost two hours ago! I wonder what I did to make him hate me so much._

After another half hours worth of walking, Leon came to a sudden halt on a cliff overlooking the remains of a castle.

"This is the Dark Depths, there's heartless everywhere here, so make sure you're ready to defend yourself if needed."

_That has got to be the longest sentence he's said to me since I meet him. _Thought Izumi, smiling slightly.

"What exactly _are_ heartless?" she asked, appearing at Leon's side.

"They're creatures whose hearts have been corrupted by darkness."

"Why are they a danger to us?"

"Because they _steal _hearts. _Our_ hearts."

"Oh, ok" _I wonder if my parents hearts got stolen._

Leon looked over at Izumi, her eyes seemed sad and distant, as if she was thinking of something else. The setting sun made her black hair shine, and Leon looked quickly away, realizing that for some reason, he was blushing slightly.

An awkward silence fell between them, each lost in their own thoughts. After a few moments, Leon cleared his throat in an effort to say something.

"Are you ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"...Nothing, you just seemed kinda sad. Forget I mentioned it."

Leon turned to walk away, leaving Izumi in a state of shock.

_He was worried about me! Or at least seemed to be. Maybe he's not as bad as I thought._

Leon had walked a short distance away when he realized that Izumi wasn't with him. He turned, noticing she was standing in the same place she was a moment ago.

"Are you coming?"

"Of course."

Izumi started walking towards him, I slight smirk on her face.

"Is something funny?"

"No. We should probably be getting back though, I don't want to worry Aerith."

She walked passed him. Now it was his turn to be in shock, he stood rooted to the spot, wondering what he had said or done to give her that look. As he was lost in thought, a large heartless appeared behind Izumi.

"Look out!"

Izumi turned abruptly, narrowly missing a fatal attack to her chest. Instead, the heartless managed to cut a large gash in her side. She gasped in pain, then fell to her knees, trying to stop the blood that was gushing from the wound. Leon raced toward the enemy, pulling out his gunblade, he cut the heartless nearly in half in one fluid movement. Izumi's last thought before she lost consciousness was Leon running towards her.

"Hey, are you ok? Can you hear me?"

Izumi opened her eyes to see Leon staring down at her, eyes full of worry? Concern? Izumi couldn't tell. She looked around, noticing that they weren't in the dark depths anymore. Instead, they seemed to be in a deserted house. She also noticed that she was laying on Leon's lap. She blushed, quickly sitting up.

"I wouldn't do that, you lost a lot of blood. You should rest awhile." Leon said

"I'm fine. What exactly happened?"

"You were attacked by a heartless."

"Oh. How come we're not back at Merlin's?"

"If you hadn't noticed, it's pouring rain outside, and with you injured, I figured getting you wet wouldn't be the best idea."

Izumi looked out one of the house's window's. Rain feel in thick sheets, making it difficult to even see across the street to where the outlines of other buildings were. The sky looked dark and ominous, as if night had come hours early. Izumi sighed.

"When will we be able to get out of here?"

"When the rain stops."

"Oh. Leon? Where exactly _are _we?"

Leon was silent for a few moments. "I used to live here."

"_Used to_?"

"After I came to live here, in Hollow Bastion. Heartless began attacking, and everyone thought it would be best if we all moved in together. For extra protection."

"So where did you originally come from?"

"What the hell do you mean?"

Izumi looked over at Leon, determined to find out more about him.

"I mean: Where was your home _before_ you came to Hollow Bastion, there's other worlds right? What one was your home?"

"None of your damn business."

Leon got up from where he was sitting and headed into one of the side-rooms.

Izumi sighed again. _Serves me right for trying to get him to talk. It was only a simple question though. Is he really that protective of his past?... Why do I care so much? _

Meanwhile, Leon was pacing in the kitchen, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few minutes.

_Why did I tell her that I used to live here?! Cloud doesn't even know that! And he came here one fucking year ago... What's wrong with me? I would have never told a stranger that. But why is she_ _so different?!_

_Because she reminds you of Rinoa. _A little voice in the back of Leon's mind said.

_No, that's not true! No one can _ever_ amount to what Rinoa meant to me._

But even as he thought it, Leon couldn't help but see the resemblances.

"Leon?"

Leon turned around, seeing that Izumi was standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to make you tell me anything you didn't want to. I was just..."

"Balamb"

Izumi blinked in surprise. "What?"

Leon turned away from Izumi, instead choosing to look at an empty mug that was sitting on a nearby table, coated in dust and cobwebs.

"Balamb was my hometown. It was one of the first worlds that the heartless destroyed... after that, I came here and meet Aerith and everyone else...then the heartless came here to..."

Leon trailed off, not knowing what to say next. Izumi stood motionless in the doorway, then walked up behind him. She gently laid a hand on his shoulder and when she spook, her voice was filled with concern.

"I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."

When Leon didn't move, or make an effort to remove Izumi's hand from his shoulder, I she continued.

"It must've been hard for you, losing everything that was important."

"I didn't _lose_ it. I ran away, I acted like a scared little baby and _ran_! If I would have stayed... If I would've _fought_... maybe I wouldn't be so alone."

"I'm sorry." Izumi whispered. Not knowing what else to say.

"It doesn't matter. It's all in the past." Leon looked towards the window realizing that rays of sunlight were now penetrating the clouds. "It stopped raining. Is you're side alright?"

"Oh. Yeah, it's fine. I had actually forgotten all about it."

"We should probably get back. Aerith is probably worried sick."

With that said, Leon stood and headed towards the front door, not once looking at Izumi.

The walk back to Merlin's was quiet, neither Izumi or Leon said a word to one another.

"Finally you guys are _home_!! I was so worried, especially after the storm." Aerith exclaimed as the two walked through the front door.

"We're fine Aerith. I think I'm going to head up to bed." Leon said

"But Leon! It's only 7! You've _never_ gone to bed this early!" Yuffie shrieked from her spot on the living room sofa.

"I know. But I'm really tired... see you all in the morning."

Leon turned and headed toward the stairs, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Aerith looked after him before turning towards Izumi, who was standing quietly by the kitchen.

"Izumi, could you help me in the kitchen for a moment please?"

"Of course."

Aerith lead Izumi into the kitchen, which was filled with the aroma of dinner. Izumi's stomach growled as she realized she hadn't eaten all day.

"Did anything happen between you two today?" Aerith asked casually.

"Um...not really.. I mean, there was a slight heartless attack... and I got kind of injured, but Leon patched the wound up ok...I don't _think_ I did anything wrong..."

She trailed off, thinking off all the things Leon had told her about his past.

"Hey Aerith, can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"...Has Leon ever talked about his past before... like... _before_ he came to Hollow Bastion?"

Aerith smiled sadly, "Not really. He's told me, but I think I'm the only person who knows what he's actaully _been _through..."

Aerith's face lit up as realization hit her. "Leon told you didn't he?"

"W-well...yeah... I mean...I guess so... but now he seems to be ignoring me more than he did earlier..."

"Don't worry about it. Leon is just...protective about certain things in his life. Telling you means he trusts you. And for while, he'll act like he wants nothing to do with you because he feels like he betrayed himself by telling you in the first place. Just give him time. You should fell extremely lucky."

"Why?"

"Because it took him 3 _months_ to tell me, it took him a _day_ to tell you."

"Oh. Is that good?"

Aerith smiled mischievously. "Yes. I think it's _very _good."

Izumi peered at Aerith curiously, but thought it was better to just stay silent.

"Anyway, just give him some space. He'll be fine. Now, are you hungry?"

"Yes, very."

Dinner passed by much as breakfast did. And for the first time in she didn't know how long, Izumi felt comfortable among the other people at the table. The only thing that was bothering her was the fact that Leon wasn't there.

_I hope he doesn't stay mad at me for to long. Because for some reason, I want to see him._

A/N: So, that was the third chapter, hope it wasn't to crappy...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am _so_ sorry I haven't updated for while (writer's block and school did _NOT _help). But I promise to try and update more often. Also, this chapter is somewhat short, but I wanted to post something...so I don't know how good it will be ; but I hope everyone enjoys it!

HAUNTED

PART 4

The days in Hollow Bastion passed by peacefully, and before Izumi knew it, she had been living in the quiet town for little over a month. And for the first time in a while, she felt at home. She found comfort in helping Aerith make meals for the members of the household, enjoyed laughing with Yuffie about Cloud's gravity defying hair. She even enjoyed helping rebuild the town after the heartless attacks. The only thing that bothered her, was that Leon hadn't talked to her once in that time.

_Does he really despise me that much? That he almost seemed to lead me on, make me think that he was starting to trust me, and instead leave me with nothing?! Not even a hello? Or a simple acknowledgment. Instead...all _I_ get...is silence._

"She really has it bad doesn't she?"

"What are you talking about Yuffie?"

Yuffie and Cloud were enjoying one of the warmest days in weeks, sitting upon one of the newly repaired roofs, watching the sun set in the distance. Instead of enjoying the sunset however, Yuffie had taken up watching Izumi wander around the empty streets, looking hopelessly depressed. Cloud was now also forced to turn his attention toward the newest member of the Hollow Bastion restoration commity. He peered down at her curiously. Watching with his ocean blue eyes.

"Just leave her alone. Everyone gets depressed sometimes...you might be an exception though."

"I'm not talking about her _depression_ you idiot! I'm talking about her being in _love_!"

"...You can tell that just by watching her for a few minutes?" Cloud said skeptically.

Yuffie sighed. "Idiot, have you ever actually watched her when she's alone?"

"Yuffie... are you stalking Izumi?"

She turned towards Cloud, face twisted into annoyance and partial anger. "No you idiot! Most nights, I like to sit up here, and watch the sunset, as were doing now. Izumi also passes by here almost every night _alone_ and when she does, she looks sad and lonely."

"So...how can you tell she's actually in love with someone? Maybe she's just really homesick."

"Just this feeling I have."

Cloud looked over at Yuffie, then back at Izumi's retreating figure.

_Maybe Yuffie's right. Maybe Izumi really _does_ have feelings for someone here in Hollow Bastion, the question is: Who is it?_

"Hey Aerith? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course Izumi, you should know by now that you can always ask me anything."

Izumi had been helping Aerith in the kitchen, when she finally decided to bring up the subject of Leon.

"Well... A few weeks ago, you said that after Leon shared something about his past, he would talk to me again, but he pretends I don't even exist...is that normal for him?... I mean, did he ignore you for that long?"

Aerith sighed, "Honestly? No. Im _so_ sorry Izumi, I don't know what's wrong with him. I've tried talking to him about it. But he just shuts himself off every time I, or anyone for that matter, mentions you..."

"Does he really hate me that much?" Izumi asked lifelessly.

Aerith turned toward Izumi, eyes filled with compassion for the young woman.

"Izumi, he doesn't hate you. Leon is just...different..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say to make Izumi fell better.

"See? Even you can't explain his behavior, and you seem to know him better than anyone... I'm sorry Aerith, but I think im going to go upstairs for awhile."

Aerith nodded, showing her understanding that Izumi needed to be left alone for awhile.

_ What do I care if he likes more or not? He's just one person. One person shouldn't make me feel this depressed. Why does he make me feel this?_

Izumi stood under the water from the shower she decided to take after talking with Aerith. The hot water burned her skin, but it took away the stress she had felt that day. She had always enjoyed showers, something about the water seemed to calm her. It always had, for as long as she could remember. But tonight... _nothing_ seemed to calm her.

A/N: Wow, I _hated_ that ending, it seemed rushed and I couldn't figure out a good place to end. So I apologize if seemed to just...stop, but as I also said earlier, I felt bad for not updating in awhile and wanted to post something. But I _do_ intend to update more often so just be patient with me, and please review!!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, I told you I would try to update more! So here's chapter 5. Hope you like! Review please.

WARNINGS: Language

HAUNTED PART 5

_Why can't I get her out of my mind?! She doesn't mean _anything_ to me. She's just some lost little girl who wound up here and doesn't even know why! _

_Because you love her._

_That's not true! I don't even _know_ her!_

_Then why do you think about her so much?_

Midnight at Merlin's house had come and gone, and Leon had been awake since 10:30, tossing and turning, silently debating with himself over his feeling for the young woman who had recently came to live in the wizards household.

_...I don't know why I think about her so much..._

_Because you Love her._

_NO! I don't...I can't..._

_Why?_

Leon sighed. Clearly, he wasn't getting sleep tonight. Again. All because if Izumi. He was up and dressed within minutes. Grabbing his gunblade, Leon opened his bedroom door and slowly made his way down the stairs, not wanting to wake anyone else. As he made his way to the back door in the kitchen, a flash of movement caught his eye. He turned, and storm gray eyes locked with

bluishgreen. Izumi. His heart skipped a beat. Izumi seemed just as surprised as he was.

_I wonder what she's doing down here this late at night._

Leon couldn't help but notice the woman's nightly attire. She was dressed in a simple T-shirt that came to just above her knees, giving Leon a good look at the long, graceful looking legs that came from it.

Izumi blushed. "I-I-I'm sorry... I didn't know anyone would be down here this late...I-I'll just go now." She turned and headed back toward the stairs. Leaving Leon in the dark. After she had disappeared back into the blackness, Leon regained his composure and headed out into the moonless night.

* * *

Snapping her bedroom door shut, heart pounding wildly in her chest, Izumi flopped down on her bed, thoughts of Leon racing through her head.

_Why was he up so late? Where was he going? Why did he seem...surprised to see me? Why do I care so much?_

She sighed, and rearranged herself under the covers until she was comfortable

_It doesn't matter, he was surprised because it's almost 1 in the morning and he wasn't expecting anyone else to be up. He doesn't care about me...he hates me..._

She fought back tears as she slipped into sleep.

* * *

The sound of Leon's gunblade swinging through the air calmed him, making him take his mind off everything else as he focused on his form. He loved coming up to the Dark Depths during the night, it was like his hiding place tucked away from the rest of the world.

"You're hurting her, can't you see that?"

Leon stopped abruptly, turning towards the voice that had just called out to him from the darkness. A head of blond spikes appeared, and Leon focused back on his weapon.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Yes Cloud, I heard you. What are you doing here anyways?"

"You're not the only one who has trouble sleeping."

"Fine. Now, for my next question, what do you want?"

"I came to talk to you about Izumi."

The gunblade stopped in midswing. Leon turned to look at Cloud with a look of anger written on his face.

"What _about_ Izumi?"

"Why do you seem to hate her so much?"

"I. Don't. Hate. Her."

Cloud snickered sarcastically, "Oh really? I never would have guessed, judging by the way you treat her."

"Cloud, what the hell do you mean? I treat her like I do everyone else."

"That's bullshit Leon, and you know it."

"Cloud, I really don't feel like talking about this right now. Alright?"

"Why?"

"Because I said so dammnit!"

"Leon." Cloud's voice turned into comfort and understanding, "you're going to have to talk about it sooner or later."

Leon sighed, " I know Cloud, I just...I can't...can we talk later? Please?"

Cloud looked at the brunett, noticing how tired and over worked he looked. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked as if might pass out from exhaustion any minute.

"Alright. Just do me a favor ok?"

"What?"

"Get some sleep, looks like you need it."

Cloud turned and walked away without once looking back, leaving Leon alone once again.

"If only I could Cloud. If only I could."

* * *

A new day in Hollow bastion dawned bright and clear. Though it was considered early by many, two figures sat in the kitchen in Merlin's house, sipping coffee and talking in quiet voices.

"I'm sorry Aerith, but he just wouldn't talk about it."

"That's alright Cloud, what matters is that you tried, and I appreciate that deeply."

"Still, I wish I could've have done more..."

Aerith smiled at Cloud reassuringly, "I know, maybe all he needs is time."

"He's _had_ time."

"Rushing him into something he doesn't want to be rushed into isn't the smartest thing to do."

"If you're going to talk about me, don't do it behind my back."

Aerith and Cloud looked up unexpectedly, noticing Leon leaning against the door leading into the kitchen.

"L-Leon, what are you doing up this early?" Aerith asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"What does it matter to you?"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Cloud shouted.

"No Cloud, he's right, we shouldn't have been talking about him like that... we're sorry Leon..."

"...whatever"

The brunett headed toward the back door, slamming it viciously behind him as he walked out.

"Well...that was an interesting way to start the day."

Aerith smiled weakly at the blonds attempt to make the situation they had now gotten themselves into humourous, "well, better get breakfast going."

"Here, I'll help."

Sunlight peeked into the bedroom window, falling into Izumi's eyes. She groaned, then truned over, trying in vain to fall back asleep.

_Breakfast will be soon. And Yuffie will be banging on my door any minute telling me to get my lazy ass out of bed before all the food's gone..._

She groaned again before kicking of her covers and getting out of bed. Izumi looked around groggily, trying to find clothes to wear. She settled in a simple black tank top and shorts, then headed down towards breakfast. For once beating Yuffie and the other members of the household.

Izumi walked into the kitchen to find Aerith and Cloud setting the table. Aerith looked up at her happily, but she couldn't help but notice that Cloud and Aerith seemed oddly tense.

"Good mornig Aerith. Good mornig Cloud" Izumi said happily.

Aerith smiled, "good morning to you to Izumi. Did you sleep alright?"

The young woman nodded.

"Anything I can do to help with breakfast?"

"Can you help Cloud set the table?"

"Course."

Aerith smiled to show her thanks, then continued making breakfast.

Breakfast at Merlin's passed like it usually did. And afterwards everyone went their separate ways until they would meet up again later that evening for dinner. Izumi and Cloud helped Aerith clean up the kitchen, Aerith cleaning and drying plates, with Cloud and Izumi putting them back in their assigned places. The tension was still there from this morning, and Izumi decided to ask about it.

"Hey Cloud, why wasn't Leon at breakfast today?"

Cloud dropped the plate he was holding at the time, causing it to fall to the floor and shatter. He looked closely at Izumi, wondering if he should tell her the truth. The young woman's face was a perfect mask of calmness. He then turned toward Aerith, she however, looked just as shocked as he did that Izumi brought up the subject of Leon.

"He had somewhere to be."

"Oh. Ok."

Aerith cleared her throat, trying to find words to say, "what makes you ask Izumi?"

"Just curious, I didn't see him at breakfast this morning."

"Oh. Well...Cloud was right, he heard about heartless up at the bailey and decided to go check it out."

"Mk"

After the trio had the kitchen looking clean and organized, they to went there separate ways. Cloud headed toward the market place to run some errands for Aerith, and Izumi decided to hunt down Yuffie. Aerith, on the other hand, decided to stay in the house and wait for Leon to return. The long haired brunett had only been waiting for about an hour when the back door opened, revealing a tired looking Leon standing in it's threshold. He continued towards the stairs, not even noticing Aerith, who was looking at him with concern. After Leon had disappeared from view, Aerith took a deep breath and decided to follow, hoping to talk some sense into the cold brunett.

* * *

_I wonder where Yuffie went, she's usually around here somewhere. If I can't find her soon, then I'll head back home, maybe Aerith will have something for me to do._

Izumi had been searching for the bubbly girl for quite some time, trying to find some company. Clouds could be seen a short distance off, foreshadowing rain later in the day. For now though, the weather remained a comfortable temperature, and Izumi wanted to spend as much time outside as possible. After another half hour of searching with no luck whatsoever, Izumi sighed and decided to head back toward Merlin's.

* * *

Aerith stood outside Leon's door, silently contemplating whether or not it would be a safe idea to knock.

_C'mon Aerith. It's just Leon, you can do this... think of Izumi..._

She knocked softly, "Leon? It's Aerith...Can we talk?"

After what seemed like a lifetime, Aerith could hear the quiet turning of the doorknob on the other side. It opened softly, letting Leon's storm gray eyes show.

"What do you want Aerith?"

"Leon, please open the door, I just want to talk...please."

"...whatever."

He opened the door, allowing Aerith entrance. She closed the door quietly behind her. An awkward silence descended the room, making Aerith struggle to remember what she wanted to say.

"Why are you here Aerith?" Leon asked softly.

She took a deep breath, "Leon, I wanted to talk about Izumi..."

Even from standing a short distance away, Aerith could tell she pushed Leon to far.

"Get out."

Aerith stood her ground, "No. not until I know what really bothering you."

"Dammit Aerith. Nothing is fucking bothering me!"

"Then why do you treat Izumi like she's nothing more than air?"

Leon cursed silently under his breath. Minutes trickled by, and the awkwardness once more settled upon the room.

"Leon" Aerith said softly, "I don't know what your going through, but the way you're treating her...it's...it's breaking her heart. She's become like family to us, and everyone hates seeing her like that..."

"What do you mean the way I'm treating her?"

"You ignore her, treat her like she's not even there. Can't you see how hard that would be?"

"You think its hard for her?! Ever since she's walked through that goddamn door, she makes me think of Rinoa, makes me think of everything I've fucking lost! Has it ever occurred to anyone that _maybe_ I treat her the way I do because I don't want to get close to her just to lose her?!..."

Leon trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

_Why did I just say all that? Do I mean it?_ _Is that why I don't want to get to know her better? Because I'm afraid I'll lose her?_

"Le-Leon. Is that true?"

"Why would I say something like that if it wasn't true?" he said softly.

"I don't know. But you can't be afraid to get to know her because she may leave one day. She probably has a home somewhere, she's going to _have_ to go back sooner or later. But if you keep acting like you do, you may push her away from here that much faster. Enjoy the time you have."

"How?"

"Talk to her, get to know her. That's all it takes really." Aerith smiled knowingly, "if it helps, she's a lot like you."

Leon looked up at Aerith confused, "what makes you say that?"

"Just this feeling I have. Just try talking to her. See what happens."

"Alright, I can...try..." he sighed, "sometimes I think it would've been easier if she never came here."

"Maybe your right. Maybe you both would've been happier. Really can't tell you for sure."

Leon smiled "thanks Aerith."

The brunett smiled brightly, "anytime."

Aerith turned to leave and opened the bedroom door. To her and Leon's surprise, Izumi was standing right outside, tears streaming down her face.

"If you never wanted me here in the first place. All you had to do was say so."

Izumi turned and ran down the stairs before either of them could say anything. Aerith and Leon stood dumbstruck, trying to figure out what all had just happened.

"Oh no" Aerith whispered, looking close to tears herself.

"She must've heard the last part of our conversation."

They heard the back door slam shut, signaling Izumi's leave.

"Leon, this is all our fault, what if something happens to her?! What if she gets hurt?"

"Aerith calm down, I'll go and bring her back."

Aerith turned toward the cold-hearted brunett, "A-are you sure?"

Leon nodded, " I started all this in the first place. Now I have to fix it."

A/N: Hopefully that chapter was a little longer/better than the last one. I'm not sure about that last line though, and I think Aerith was a _little_ out of character for part of it, but oh well. Hope you liked it. Tell me what you think...**REVIEW**...


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